Believe Me, I'm Lying [New & Improved]

Chapter Seven

                    

  Friday morning was a relief when it came. The good thing was, that after my little deal with the seniors, I hadn't had a major problem with them for the rest of the week. However, Oliver hadn't shown up for class again. He'd even stopped showing up sixth period when he was supposed to help prep. But that was really the only problem left for me to tackle.

As I was walking in the entrance to the school, I bumped into Emma Rose.

"Ms. Allen, right?" she greeted me with a smile.

Somehow her presence eased me. "Yep. Good morning."

"Morning, mind if I walk with you?"

"Sure."

She let out a soft sigh. "It's so nice in the morning before the students arrive, isn't it?"

"It's very quiet," I agreed.

"How have you been adjusting? I heard your first day was a bit rough," Emma said, giving me a sympathetic look.

I shrugged. "It's not bad now."

"You must get hassled about your young looks."

I grinned and nodded. "You got it."

"It's not so bad when you get used to it," she promised me. "The students aren't too horrible if you give them a chance. Of course, there are always a handful of troublemakers. But a lot of students come here because their parents freaked out on them for making one mistake. So don't label them all as bad."

Her words made an image of Melissa pop into my head. She really didn't seem like she fit in here. What was her case? I knew it was wrong to label all the students here as bad. Most of them probably weren't. "Yeah, you're right," I finally said. "Thanks."

She squeezed my shoulder. "No problem. If you every need anything, don't hesitate to come see me."

"Thanks," I said again, smiling at her.

"Well, I'm off this way," she said, taking a right down one of the hallways.

I stayed straight, going down the hallway that led to my classroom. As soon as it came into view, the door opened. Seconds later, Tucker appeared, rushing out of the room. He turned and stared directly at me, a scowl instantly appearing on his face.

I frowned at him. "What were you doing in—"

"None of your business!" he snapped, turning his back on me and storming down the hallway in the opposite direction.

Unimpressed, I walked into my classroom. What was his problem? This was the fourth day in a row I caught him leaving my classroom before I was even in it, and every time he'd leave before I could actually see what he was doing. He had no right to have that attitude with me.

On Tuesday he had left the floor wet, and yesterday one of the cabinet doors in the supply room was open and I had banged my head on it. Was he pulling pranks on me? With caution, I walked across the classroom, feeling for any slippery areas. None showed up. I checked to see if there was glue on my chair. Nope.

I frowned slightly, but shrugged it off. I would just have to catch Tucker in action to figure out what he was doing in my room so early every day. Sitting at my desk, I pulled out the old teacher's planner book and opened it, going over today's schedule. Another desert was on the menu for today. Frowning, I glanced down at my stomach. Whatever we made I always ended up eating... If this kept up I was going to gain two hundred pounds a month.

"I can't say if I like casual Friday or not..."

I looked up from my desk to see Arden walking into the room, his face pulled into an unsure expression. I glanced at the clock to realize homeroom had already ended. Arden was still staring at me when I returned my attention to him. For a minute I was confused... until I realized that he was checking me out. While doing my best not to blush, I gave him the harshest glare I could summon.